Humble and a team player? Joe Burrow is definitely a keeper for the Cincinnati Bengals.
After the Bengals’ Week 3 victory against Pittsburgh, Burrow was more than happy to talk about how his team beat the Steelers at Heinz Field.
He didn’t mention that he threw for 178 yards and three touchdowns, or that he completed 14 out of 18 pass attempts.
In a post-game interview, Burrow focused on the fact that this glorious win was a collective and complete team effort, and he praised the Bengals’ defense the most.
"Our defense got the ball to us in great field position. We just punched it in when we needed to. We didn’t play perfect, but it was a good one."
When your defense gets four sacks on Big Ben and your offensive line allows just one sack on you, yeah, you’d be grateful too.
Cincinnati Bengals defense played major part in Week 3 victory vs. Steelers
Cam Sample, Trey Hendrickson, and Sam Hubbard all played a huge game with a sack and at least one quarterback hit each. They added a total combined ten tackles against a lackluster Steelers offense, and along with the rest of the Bengals’ defense, never gave Pittsburgh a chance at coming back in this game.
It also helped that Pittsburgh’s All-Pro pass-rusher T.J. Watt was injured and didn’t play, but Cincinnati’s defense held down the fort well enough to let Burrow do his thing.
That meant fireworks between him and former LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase, who had yet another productive week with two touchdowns and 65 receiving yards.
Even with Tee Higgins sidelined, the Bengals’ wide receiver room of Tyler Boyd, Chris Evans, Mike Thomas, and Auden Tate fired on all fronts, and Cincinnati beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh for the first time since 2015.
Pittsburgh’s only dangerous threat was running back Najee Harris, but the Bengals were able to wrap him up for 14 receptions and 104 rushing yards with no score.
If Cincinnati continues to play this well, you might be looking at the the best team in the AFC North.
Burrow played well. Check. Chase’s drops are a thing of the past. Check. The defense looks good. Check. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a competitive Bengals franchise (and so far, a winning record) in 2021.